Lunch in an Olive Grove {Agritourismo da Lallo}

A few weekends ago the New York Times ran a delightfully illustrated piece by American Academy in Rome fellow Nicholas Blechman.  The charming illustrations told a sinister story about olive oil in Italy not being the real thing.  Now I am a very fortunate girl. Not only do I live in Italy, it is easy to find fresh olive oil from the source. I have generous friends and  a nearby farmers market. Another thing I love to do is visit nearby agritourismi and buy supplies straight from the source.  

On a recent weekend the teenager had to be dropped off at the airport at first light.  I resisted the urge to spend the sunny day on the couch or watching a matinee and was rewarded with an incredible Sunday sunrise and a full free day ahead of me. We headed first to Termi di Papi, a favorite hot springs near Viterbo and just over an hour away from Rome. We arrived just as the doors opened and had the entire olympic pool filled with steaming sulfery water almost to ourselves. As the pool got more crowded we got more hungry so we scrolled through our contact list for the number of a place that our friend Jeff had recommended and that we hadn't been to in years, Agriturismo da Lallo.

The other tables at this rustic spot were filled with local hunters and farmers and a few city day trippers. We were brought slices of bread toasted on the open fired and drenched in the farms olive oil with our menus. I ordered the specials off the post-it notes attached to the menus and Mark got Parparadelle with cinghiale sauce and lamb stewed with the same fresh mushrooms that had topped my pasta. We drank goldfish bowl sized goblets of a red the farm also produces. 

Before we headed back to Rome we stocked up on liters of new olive oil and wild fennel liqueur and promised the friendly proprietors it would not be years until we returned again. 

Da Lallo is easy to find.  After you turn off the Cassia bis just look for the large silhouette of a cinghiale (wild boar) and park under an olive tree.

Agritourismo da Lallo
Strada Da Vetralla Per Tuscania Km 3.700
01100 Viterbo, Italia